LeBron Post Another Triple-Double, Leading Lakers To 5th Straight Win

LeBron Post Another Triple-Double, Leading Lakers To 5th Straight Win

NBA

by | Nov 4, 2019 | NBA

The battle for supremacy over Los Angeles continues as both teams are racking up wins, the Lakers may have lost that first match with the Clippers but haven’t lost since. The Lakers’ defense is starting to round into shape as everyone is learning the expected role they’ll play on this team. Entering into Sunday’s match up with the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center, the Lakers were sitting on top of the Western Conference standing.

“…our defense carried us throughout the game. When we go hot and cold offensively, if you’re a great defensive team it’s always going to keep you in a game, build leads and sustain runs. We felt that was the case tonight, we had few guys make some timely offensive plays,” said Lakers Head Coach, Frank Vogel in a postgame interview

LeBron James is put on an impressive the last two nights posted a triple-double to lead the Lakers to an overtime win in Dallas, and recording another triple-double of 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists, pushing the Lakers to a 103-96 win over the Spurs handing their first home loss of the year.

Dejounte Murray led the way for the Spurs, scored  18 points with 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 24 minutes to record the second double-double of the season and the second of his career.

The Lakers’ improvement on the defensive end was in full effect holding the Spurs to 39.8 percent shooting (33 of 83) and limited LaMarcus Aldridge to just eight points on 2 of 9.

” It’s three guys that want to defend at a high level. Every possession, we don’t like guys to score on us, but it gonna happen it’s the NBA. We’re playing against great players, but we take so much pride on that side that we want to try to keep guys uncomfortable. We did that tonight, held another opponent…to 40% shooting and under a hundred,” said James when asked about being on the floor with Howard and Davis.

SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 3: Anthony Davis #3 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shake hands after a game against the San Antonio Spurs on November 3, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photos by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images)

Photo Credit: Logan Riely via Getty Images

Up by 19 points early in the third quarter, the Spurs to cut the deficit to six with 3½ minutes left thanks to some stop and a deep Rudy Gay buzzer-beating 3-point shot over Howard, the Spurs trailed by just 77-72 entering the fourth period.

Dejounte Murray raddled off six-straight points to tie the score at 90-90 with about 4 minutes left, the Lakers separated themselves following a 9-2 run that began with back-to-back jumpers, including a 3-pointer, by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Los Angeles Lakers v San Antonio Spurs

Dwight Howard throwing it down during Sunday nights matchup against the Spurs. Photo Credit: Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

Not only did the Lakers get a stellar performance from James, but Anthony Davis (AD) chipped in with a 25-point, 11 rebounds double-double as well as Howard who finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

” We got great looks and anytime we missed Superman ( Dwight Howard) was there clear up the offensive glass. Tip dunks, lobs, everything he was great tonight,” Said James following the game.

It is still early within the season and no one knows what team may emerge as a contender but if Lebron and AD’s relationship becomes as strong on-court as it is off-court the league is in for some trouble. The addition of Kyle Kuzma and the awaited return of starting point guard Rajon Rondo will make this that much more dangerous.

Nov 4, 2019 No Comments
Oklahoma City’s Well Balanced Attack Helps Defeat The Pelicans (115-104)

Oklahoma City’s Well Balanced Attack Helps Defeat The Pelicans (115-104)

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by | Nov 3, 2019 | Featured, NBA

The Thunder have been in all of the games that they’ve played this season and it didn’t stop tonight. Coming into this game against the Pelicans they knew they would have to limit turnovers and get back to the ball movement. This was the most complete offensive attack that the Thunder put out tonight as it seemed as though no one on the Pelicans could stop it. One of the bright spots for the Thunder was the fact that Darius Bazley was able to display some of the confidence that his coaches and teammates talk about all the time. Bazley was able to notch his career-high in points tonight against the Pelicans as he was able to beat them inside and outside. Bazley finished with 17 points on the night and 3/6 from the 3 point line. Darius Bazley has a lot of raw potential that has yet to be tapped into this season and if he continues at this rate anything is possible for him. Bazley has developed into a true slasher and has got better on the defensive end as it seems as though the rookie has no jitters at all. Another player that has been able to take his game to another level has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This season SGA has made a huge jump in points as he’s averaging 10 points more per game this season than last season in LA. Coming to OKC has helped his game and he’s been able to have the green light and not slow down at all. The Pelicans tried to stop Shai with Jrue Holiday on the defensive end and it was a clear mismatch. Shai finished the game with 23 points and has shown everyone in the NBA that he’s a bonafide scorer and someone that teams will need to gameplan on. When Shai gets the angle to get to the rim he’s bound to make a beautiful finish at the rim or he’s going to get his teammates involved.

 

 

 

The Oklahoma City Thunder had 6 players in double figures tonight against the Pelicans who couldn’t stop them on defense. The Thunder played without Steven Adams for the second straight game and for the second straight game Nerlens Noel has stepped up. The defense that Nerlens has brought to the table has helped jumpstart the offense in fastbreaks as well. The player that has been consistently helping the Thunder on that second unit has been Dennis Schröder who finished this game with 17 points. Dennis has been one of those players that have been changing the game with his energy and his play. Dennis knows where his teammates are going to be and he also knows when to get his offense going as well. His play has been a huge help to the Thunder as it looks like they have the Dennis Schröder from Atlanta in OKC. The game really changed in a great way for the Thunder when they had the 3 guard lineup of Paul, Alexander, and Schröder. When the Thunder have those three on the court at the same time it seems to be a really good decision for the team. Those three will have to lead the Thunder all season and with the team beating the Pelicans to get their 2nd win on the season anything is possible moving forward.

The Pelicans were able to keep the game close against the Thunder but they didn’t have Brandon Ingram to finish the game. Ingram looked like he was on his way to having one of those good games that we’ve seen from him recently until his head injury. Once Ingram went out the game the Pelicans were leaning on Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart to get it done. All three of them combined for 38 points on the night but it wasn’t enough to get over the hump against the Thunder. Jahlil Okafor did play really well tonight as he added 15 points but he had some turnovers and fouls that didn’t help the case for them winning. This Pelicans team has a lot of potential and they will be a force to be reckoned with when Zion Williamson comes back from his knee injury. The Pelicans fell short against the Thunder tonight and now OKC will try to get another win against the Magic as they come to town on Tuesday night.

Nov 3, 2019 No Comments
SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Los Angeles Lakers Vs Dallas Mavericks

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Los Angeles Lakers Vs Dallas Mavericks

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by | Nov 2, 2019 | Featured, NBA

For ESPN’s second game of the night, the Los Angeles Lakers (3-1) travel to the Lone Star State to duel with 20-year old phenom Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (3-1) at 9:30 p.m. on Friday at the American Airlines Center.

The Mavs are a perfect .500 at home and have dazzled in this young season and exceeded expectations with Rick Carlisle’s new all-European tandem of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Los Angeles is favored by a point and a half in the latest Lakers vs. Mavericks odds, while the over-under is set at 216.5, according to SportsLine.

It shouldn’t take a basketball connoisseur to envision the duo of new Laker Anthony Davis and LeBron James frolicking in the prosperity of a high winning percentage throughout the young season, because it already looks like they have gotten a bit of a headstart on that. Anthony Davis already set his season-high (soon to be toppled, presumptuously) in points and rebounds, putting up a hefty 40-point, 20 rebound stat line against the Grizzlies on Tuesday night inside the Staples Center.

A dominant display of height, wingspan, and ambidexterity with a flashy handle as a near 7-footer were just uncontainable for the young Grizz and LeBron who, albeit didn’t have his usual 30-point night, just let the 29-year old take center stage.

Tonight, a clash of 3-1 squads will take place in ESPN’s late-night slot and NBA fans will be treated to the battle of the two best stretch bigs in the land, as the synonymously dubbed “Unicorn” Kristaps Porzingis gets a shot to upset the favored Lakers and go toe-to-toe with AD.

On Friday afternoon ahead of tonight’s matchup, current “best player on the planet” (debatable) LeBron James was asked a precarious inquiry that surely made its rounds throughout the interwebs.

“Hey, LeBron, how do you plan to handle the Razzmatazz Hop Skiddily-Doo that Luka Doncic brings to every night?”

And that’s a pretty hard question to come up with an answer with one single pontification.

Doncic’s Razzmatazz, hop skidd- you know the rest, has been so substantial for the Mavericks’ early success. This kid has been playing like a grown man, averaging 25 points a game which is the 11th-highest scoring average in all of basketball so far. With such a complete game, he’s making MVP noise early in this young season and has really opened the eyes of Mavs fans, while confirming the good selection skill of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who happens to know a thing or two about scouting Euro talent.

The thing about these Mavs – they love fast starts. So much so, that they’ve been flying out of the gates in the four games they’ve played, averaging a league-high 66.2 first-half points per contest. Today, they host a Lakers team who have been a little slower to get rolling thus far averaging 52.2 first-half points.

With all of the factors that the Lakers have against them tonight, they now have one positive – Kule Kuzma is back. A healthy roster and solid rotation for Lakers coach Frank Vogel has the Lakers favored to get their fourth win tonight, but you just cannot be sure about these young Mavs when writing that prediction.

Nov 2, 2019 No Comments
Dame Time Too Much Down The Stretch As OKC Loses Close One (102-99)

Dame Time Too Much Down The Stretch As OKC Loses Close One (102-99)

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by | Oct 31, 2019 | Featured, NBA, uncategorised

The Thunder have been a scrappy group of guys this season. Everyone has counted them out and that has been the motivation this season. A lot of teams like Portland come into the game not knowing what to expect from this new-look team. One thing that they find out is that this squad has a lot of heart and they have amazing ball movement. The Thunder played against Portland and they were able to execute throughout the game as both teams struggled with scoring. It wasn’t until the second unit when Dennis Schröder was able to give the Thunder spark to help them stay afloat in this game. The way Dennis played was exactly what the Thunder wanted when he came from Atlanta and it seems like he’s able to be free and play his game. Dennis was able to affect the game in all phases as he was able to score, defend, and show energy with hustle plays. The way that he’s played the last two games has been a huge boost to this team as it seems like NBA teams are finally trying to gameplan for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a lot more. Dennis was able to create his own shot and was able to attack while having the hot hand for the Thunder.

 

CP3 struggled in the first half and Dennis was able to fill that void on the team. The second half is when CP3 was able to get more aggressive as he was getting to the basket and drawing a lot of fouls. CP3 was able to get to the line but he also handed out a lot of nice passes that led to the Thunder scoring. Chris Paul can’t be passive on this team and when he doesn’t attack it doesn’t help the others. When Chris can attack it makes the other team focus on him and forces them to stay put defensively. When Chris plays at that All-Star level that we know he has anything is possible. CP3 is the leader of this team and this team will go as far as he can help them go on the season. CP3 finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists against Portland. Nerlens Noel has come up big time in his chances with Steven Adams being hurt and that continued tonight as had a monster game with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Nerlens has shown his quickness and his willingness to defend at an elite level. Noel made it tough on the Trail Blazers tonight and was able to dominate in the paint when he had chances too with and without Whiteside in the game.

 

 

The Thunder played well but this Portland team has been through the trenches together and it showed tonight. Portland had CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard who are two players the Thunder fans know very well after the playoffs. When both of them have their game going it’s tough to actually try to stop them. Tonight it was CJ who went off in the first half as the Thunder tried to put multiple players on him. Even with the improvements defensively of Hamidou and Terrance, he was able to make some tough shots. It’s almost like they take turns in the game especially since it was Dame Time in the second half. This time “Dame Time” was all about his shooting and facilitating with his teammates. Lillard finished with 23 points and 13 assists on the night and was able to create any time he wanted too. The Thunder have been in every single game this season but it’s clear they haven’t found who will be their closer in close games. Lillard was able to execute down the stretch and postgame even admitted that the Thunder have a lot more ball movement.

 

 

The Thunder will face the Pelicans on Saturday without Zion as that’s a game that they need badly to get back into the winning column.

Oct 31, 2019 No Comments
How to Get the “Bron 2k” LeBron 17

How to Get the “Bron 2k” LeBron 17

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by | Oct 30, 2019 | Featured, NBA, Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

It’s no secret that LeBron loves NBA 2K. He brags about his skill level, how it allows him to test new lineups, and the joy of playing himself. It doesn’t hurt that he’s consistently one of the highest rated characters in the entire franchise either. Once again, LeBron, Nike and 2K are partnering up to deliver exclusive shoes to the truly balling gamers out there. Much like everything in the world of NBA 2K you have to earn the exclusive “Bron 2K” LeBron 17.

The “Bron 2K” is the initial offering of GEs or Gamer Exclusives as part of a partnership with the Nike SNKRS app and NBA 2K20. This totally purple LeBron 17 can only be unlocked by leveling your MyPlayer up to an overall 98 skill level, one over LeBron’s overall rating. Once you level your MyPlayer to the appropriate skill level, these regal kicks will be available to purchase via the SNKRS app.

Oct 30, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter 2019 Marquee Match-Ups 10/29

SneakerReporter 2019 Marquee Match-Ups 10/29

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by | Oct 29, 2019 | Featured, NBA

Last night we as NBA fans were spoiled with a multitude of games, with 22 teams competing and 11 who came out on top. We found that the Sixers would hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 3-0 after their victory over the Atlanta Hawks. While on the Western Conference, the Spurs and Nuggets join the Minnesota Timberwolves in contention for the top spot in the early stages of the season.

Tonight we’re scheduled for 3 games, a total of 6 teams squaring off.

We kick things off tonight with an Eastern Conference match-up with the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. This is an exciting match-up, to say the least. On one side with Miami, they’ve gotten off to a good start with rookie Tyler Herro being a menace on the offensive end. Even with their successes so far this season, the Heat only get better, with star forward Jimmy Butler entering the line-up for the first time this season. On the other side of the coin, the Atlanta Hawks have been on an upswing so far, with Trae Young and the young team performing well. We can almost assume that the game will being nothing less than an offensive shootout.

Secondly, we have a Western Conference match-up with the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets. Both teams have started off strong, with two fairly different approaches to their off-season. The Nuggets have mostly maintained their roster, while the Mavericks have shifted focus towards their core of Porzingis and Doncic. Doncic has had incredible stretch of games so far, heavily setting the tone for himself now going into his second year. The Nuggets have generally been a very team-oriented offense, surrounded around Jokic, Harris, and Murray.

And now to round off our list, we have a game that I personally like to call, youth versus experience with another Western Conference battle with the Grizzlies and the Lakers. The Grizzlies just came off a resounding win over the Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets with rookie point guard Ja Morant leading the charge while the Lakers just came off a strong victory over the Charlotte Hornets as well. As previously stated, this game really is youth versus experience, which will be interesting to see how both teams will stack up against one another.

Oct 29, 2019 No Comments